Cochlear implant's world of sound

BY THE time one-year-old Amy Becker reaches school age, there won’t be much that sets her apart from her peers.

But things could have been vastly different if it were not for two cochlear implants that will allow her to hear and speak just like anybody else.

Amy was officially ‘switched on’ yesterday, which means that her cochlear implant processors have been activated and programmed so she can hear sound.

She can now begin learning to listen.

It wasn’t an easy journey for the toddler, who could barely lift her head under the weight of bandages after the surgery.

Amy’s mother Amanda Becker said she was thrilled by the prospect that Amy would now have the best opportunity to listen and speak the same as hearing children her age.

“Thanks to the wonderful work of the team at Hear and Say, Amy will have the opportunity to have the same hearing, listening and speaking skills as her peers by the time she starts prep in a mainstream school,” she said.

The opening of the Hear and Say centre in Toowoomba last year also means that children and families like Amy and her parents can attend regular lessons and progress evaluations close to home rather than travelling to Brisbane.